Bacardi Eliminates Plastic Pourers in Bottles

Jul 31, 2023

The spirits company is reducing plastic waste by getting rid of the plastic inserts in bottles of Bacardi, Martini, Bombay Sapphire, and Dewar's products.

Mike Pomranz has been covering craft beer for nearly two decades and trending food and beverage news for Food & Wine for 7 years.

Bacardi

Even small packing changes can potentially have major effects on a product's environmental impact. For instance, Sprite switched from green to clear plastic to make their bottles more easily recyclable. Beer brands like Coors Light have ditched six-pack rings in favor of cardboard-wrap carriers. Now, one of the world's largest spirits companies, Bacardi, has announced it is ditching the small plastic pourers in its bottles.

Despite being colloquially referred to as a "pourer" — that's even what Bacardi calls it in their announcement — the tiny plastic bit at the top of a bottle's neck is technically called a "Non-Refillable Fitment" or "NRF." And though they do regulate the liquid coming out, as the name implies, their primary purpose is to keep adulterants out, including preventing people from illegally refilling the bottle.

Bacardi

But in weighing the benefits of NRFs, apparently Bacardi also realized the literal weight of all that plastic — the company says that removing the pourers from their portfolios in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico), Canada, Spain, and Portugal will cut approximately 140 tons of plastic waste per year.

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"We are making this bold move because it's the right thing to do for the planet," Rodolfo Nervi, Bacardi's VP of global safety, quality & sustainability, stated. "As a family-owned company for more than 160 years, pioneering change is in our DNA, and we’re proud to be leading the industry as we take another huge step towards achieving our commitment to be 100 percent plastic free by 2030."

Bacardi says these NRFs can be found in bottles of their eponymous rum as well as their other brands including Martini, Bombay Sapphire, and Dewar's. But removal has already begun. By early next year, Bacardi says all of their 1.75 liter rum bottles in the U.S. and Canada will have lost the pourers. That alone should cut 76 tons of plastic per year. Meanwhile, Spain and Portugal will see the plastic pourers disappearing from all Bacardi products over the next six months.

And outside of the environmental benefits, Nervi suggested that removing the NRFs shouldn't negatively impact the drinking experience. He added, "Consumers will continue to enjoy the same exceptional quality and taste from our entire portfolio of brands as we continue on our journey to a more sustainable future."